Saint's Valley
by Tom-Powers
Summary: Follow Sainitour as he makes his way to the great rat, only to find his path blocked by war,hatred and corporal shrew.


Saint's Valley  
  
Chapter 1-The Vermintide  
  
Part 1-Corporal Shrew  
  
Rats-haven was a small town on a lonely plateau, a collection of rodents from all across the midlands. The town was certainly not luxurious, it was simply a series of holes,caves and small shacks made from corrugated cardboard. Flaming pyres covered the town in black smog, but were necessary to warm up the chilling air that harassed  
  
Rats-haven and also to remind the Vermintide that Rats-haven was prepared. One shack was simply an abandoned tin with a crude hole carved in the bottom, this abode was occupied by a bright male rodent, named Saintiour,he was teased by the common folk for his daft yet prophetic name. Saintiour was a loner by nature, brownish black in colour, with strong hind legs, unusually large teeth and keen, sharp, darting eyes.  
  
However Saintiour was anxious, he had news for the great rat, he slipped through his little hole and started towards the great rat's palace, adorned with aluminium plating and boasting a large tower (in fact a discarded bottle cap). On his way he bumped into an old enemy Corporal Shrew. Shrew gazed at him through vindictive eyes, made a quick gesture with his paw and all of a sudden, a huge ox of a rat leapt upon Saintiour, the force of the blow knocked him to the ground, he swept his clawed paw across the Ox's face before losing conciousness.When next he woke, Saintiour found himself in the Rats-haven "Brigg" and through cold tin bars he could a make out the exit, he had to get out and speak with the great rat.  
  
Part 2- The great escape,escape  
  
Saintiour was trapped. He was always alone at home so the solace did not frighten him, being trapped however did. All around him was earth ,hard and dry, trying to dig out would only blunt his claws, not to mention get the sentry's attention. So Saintiour remembered his training, "the best way out of captivity, is out of the front door" said his mentor Cag the curious. So keeping his mentor's wise words in his head he sat on the matchbox bed and began hatching a plan.  
  
"I have to darn well escape" he thought "but I can hardly hatch an egg without laying one first, oh, think Saintiour think. Saintiour looked up, "No guard, ha that foolish corporal". With that thought Saintiour rushed forward toward the tin bars, panting with excitement he focused on a large burly object leaning against the sloped wall."Rats I have to do this the hard way" he thought.  
  
"Guard,oh,guard" said Saintiour coughing and spluttering.  
  
The horrendously ponderous Sentry rat ambled forward, barely aware of his surroundings and shoved his head through the bars sending Saintiour leaping back.  
  
"Wha?, wha you'ze wants,wants?" mumbled the guard.  
  
"Well you see,I'm not....well,yes that's it, I'm terribly ill, oh ow" said Saintiour rolling on the floor in false agony.  
  
"Ha I ain't falling for that one......again, look laddy I'm a guard of many years insp, insperi....."  
  
"Experience" Interrupted Saintiour  
  
"You know wha'....i mean,mean"  
  
"Why I'm not at all suprised, I wager you are a most noble and mighty guard,guard" sniggered Saintiour  
  
The guard, oblivious to Saintiour's insult and probably never praised in his life blushed and became a bit more coherent, albeit, a bit.  
  
"Thank you Mr.Prisoner rat".  
  
"I bet you never lose your rodent" inquired the eager prisoner.  
  
"Nope,No way, never ever ever,ever"  
  
Saintiour had to think on his feet now, he was on a tightrope, he knew the guard was slow and pathetically equipped in the brain department, yet his situation was still precarious, "if I fail I'll rot in this cell for eternity" thought Saintiour who growled with frustration.  
  
"Did you'ze say something?" Snapped the guard  
  
"Pardon, oh no, no, I just said what wonderful keys you have there"  
  
"Wha', WHA????" yelled the bumbling idiot " Wha keys,keys?"  
  
Saintiour pointed to the pair of keys, dangling from the guards belt.  
  
"Oh you mean the touch-me-nots, Mr.shrew said,um,oh I forgot something about not using them,them"  
  
"What" cried Saintiour "what nonsense, let those beautiful artefacts go to waste, I'm sure you misunderstood Shrew."  
  
"Yes, your right, I did misunderstoods, he said use the touch-me-yes' at every possible oppurtunity,oppurtunity".  
  
"How do these....touch-me-yes'...work exactly"  
  
"Well first, you,um, oh yeah put 'em in the lock,lock"  
  
"Yes" said Saintiour excited  
  
"Then you turn,turn"  
  
Saintiour's heart beat faster, he broke into a cold sweat, "stay composed Saintiour" he thought.  
  
"Finally you......."  
  
Saintiour felt himself about to leap when...........  
  
"Ooops, wrong one,one"  
  
The prisoner, wound up and ready to fly, had to fall back on his haunches, falling to the ground, fortunately the guard was already in the process of using the other key.  
  
"Yep now I justs pull.........."  
  
This time Saintiour knew he could'nt be wrong and with the impetus of a charging cavalrymen he swept past the guard and scuttled almost horizontally along the sloped wall.  
  
"Send my regards to Corporal Shrew, Shrew" chuckled Saintiour.  
  
Part 3- Pace Yourself!  
  
Saintiour bolted out of the "brigg" door, sniffed quickly, pyre burning close,smell of treacle brittle, must be Ratlet Street. In a split second he was off narrowly avoiding collisions with every rat he ran passed as he surged forward like a fugitive on the run.  
  
Saintiour saw a chance to hide so he slid into a rat alley, he had halted only to draw breath when he saw a figure running straight for him.  
  
Saintiour continued his rout, round the corner into a huge crowd of rats, he darted hither and tither through the swarm, ever conscious of the chaser tailing him, who was as nimble and quick as Saintiour. The fleeing Saintiour got past the crowd and ran left, he saw the abandoned boot, the secret hiding place of the venerable Cag the curious and his other fellow companions. It filled him with new hope, yet all the time he was prey to some speedy foe, again frustrated Saintiour growled this time out loud and was on the brink of spinning round fighting and dying if necessary to end the chase. Saintiour felt the chasers breath down his neck as he got closer he felt almost cheated that he should have to run the risk of being caught and reduced to nothing. Saintiour and chaser burned across the Steel road, down a 60 metre straight stretch, Saintiour couldn't believe it, he never knew he was so fast, then just as he ran past a battered box house, Corporal Shrew and the ox-like-rat turned the corner, unable to do anything Saintiour flew into Shrew, the chaser just as unfortunate smashed into the ox. As Shrew tumbled to the ground he spun grabbing Saintiour's tail, being dragged along a yard before they both came to a menacing halt. Saintiour squealed and protested.  
  
"Gotcha now, boy!" Grinned Shrew.  
  
For a second it was all silent and the noble runner growled.Saintiour barely made out the ox being battered by the chaser, who then dug his claws into Shrew's back. Released Saintiour ran the final 30 metre stretch to the boot without a thought for why the chaser had taken out Shrew and his Ox. With the chaser a mile away Saintiour said "SAFE at last" out loud, before approaching the familiar looking guard who he addressed with a friendly smile and a nod, the stubborn guard stubbornly refused to return the gesture.  
  
"What's the password?" asked the guard, with an air of vigilance.  
  
Saintiour sprung forward and bit him on the nose, hard enough to be felt, but soft enough not to cause injury.  
  
"Tha's the one" said Gabriel with a smile and rubbed his bite marked nose.  
  
As Gabriel went to shut the door he was startled by the chaser who burst in and locked eyes with Saintiour as quickly as he entered. There was total silence, the two rats staring and anaylsing the others stance.  
  
"Cag...." said Saintiour in disbelief "Cag were'nt you......"  
  
"Trying to warn you of your impending doom, yeah, but looks like you got there first old boy"  
  
Cag approached Saintiour and gave him a friendly cuff which Saintiour joyously returned.  
  
"Nails fill him in please" ordered Cag.  
  
"Gotcha, I meant, YES SIR" boomed Nails, with a salute of course! 


End file.
